Before the start of the Central Coast Section playoffs, San Benito High tailback Zak Hicks couldn’t help but look ahead to a possible Division I semifinal matchup against Alvarez-Salinas.
Hicks and his teammates will get their wish, as the No. 4 seed Balers (6-5) play at No. 1 Alvarez at 7 p.m. Saturday.
“We’re hoping we play Alvarez in the semis,” Hicks said. “We know they’re a good team, but we’re confident we can beat them.”
Haybalers center Caleb Menez was thinking along those same lines after last week’s 62-21 thrashing of Independence-San Jose in the opening round of the postseason.
“We can’t wait to play them,” Menez said. “We want to kill their undefeated streak.”
The Eagles (11-0) are one of the feel-good stories of the section, having made a near-miraculous turnaround from a 0-10 season a year ago.
Alvarez, which is coming off a 24-10 win over No. 8 seed Monta Vista-Cupertino, was actually demoted to the Monterey Bay League’s lower Pacific Division this year after going winless in the Gabilan in 2012.
“It’s a testament to their coaching staff and their players that they’ve been able to turn things around so quickly,” Balers coach Chris Cameron said.
San Benito is feeling confident because of recent history. Last year the Balers mauled Alvarez, 43-13. In addition to last year’s winless season, the Eagles also endured a dismal four-year stretch from 2006-09 in which they went a combined 2-27.
But these aren’t your father’s Eagles. Alvarez is an entirely different team, with a new attitude and makeup. Whether or not that will be enough to beat San Benito remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Saturday’s game should be a doozy.
Simply put, it will be a matchup of desire and will.
Both teams feature punishing ground games, with the passing attack used to try to keep opposing defenses honest. However, whichever team can establish the run will likely come out on top.
Similar to San Benito, the Eagles have three runners who get the bulk of the carries: quarterback Eric Gamble (1,016 yards on 86 carries, 15 touchdowns), Ceasar Ramirez (1,001 on 18, 15 TDs) and Emilio Orejel (425 on 83).
The Eagles are also stout defensively, as they didn’t allow an offensive score against Monta Vista. San Benito and Alvarez have met just once before in the playoffs, a 34-13 victory for the Balers in 2001.
The Balers seem to be replicating last year’s magical run, when they won six of their last seven games en route to the Division I championship. San Benito has been toughened by playing top-caliber opponents in Los Gatos, Palo Alto and Palma.
There’s really not a team of that level in the D-I field–perhaps with the exception of Milpitas–so it’s no wonder the Balers are feeling confident about themselves as they enter Saturday’s contest.
